HEARTCATCH THIS AIN’T

TONY T. - Managing Editor, 2nd Year, Economics and Data Science

"HappinessCharge is also kind of annoying to continuously type out to be honest."

Within the Precure franchise of magical girl anime, Heartcatch is probably the most universally appreciated. Often pointed to as the pinnacle of what a series in the genre can accomplish without attempting overly edgy or controversial alterations, Heartcatch is so beloved that in more judgemental circles it’s even looked down upon as the most ‘normie’ entry. In this regard, I am very much a normie– Heartcatch is, in my view, a stellar series in both its unique visual style, kinetic action directing, and genuinely compelling story. My extended thoughts can be found within Konshuu’s Volume 54.

In considering a piece of Japanese animation, the typical figurehead for what is, in reality, a production consisting of many individuals is generally a studio name. Though consistency does exist between works from the same studio, the head creative to consider should really be, in my opinion, the director due to that position. This is especially true of Heartcatch, seeing as Toei Animation has made works ranging from One Piece to Mononoke to Precure. Nagamine Tatsuya, the director of Heartcatch, is likely one of the more crucial figures in the series’ success, having also done a large amount of work for Toei that I believe is similarly stunning in visuals.

Yet, Nagamine directing is clearly not everything–an equal portion of Heartcatch’s initial appeal comes from Umakoshi Yoshihiko’s standout designs, which somewhat mix the character proportions of his Ojamajo Doremi work and the weakness of Casshern Sins’ characters. Equally (if not more) important are also the episode and series writers, who manage to weave an interesting coming-of-age narrative incorporating a generations-long conflict. This is made all the more impressive when one considers how, like every Precure aside from perhaps Doki- Doki, Heartcatch is very episodic, with each episode almost always telling a stand-alone story.

HappinessCharge Precure, directed by the same Nagamine Tatsuya, clearly demonstrates this. While I’m not going to say that aesthetics are everything, as many of my favorite series suffer in that regard, the absence of Umakoshi’s designs is immediately notable. Released as a ten anniversary series, in spite of it actually being the eleventh Precure anime, HappinessCharge’s return to a prior director was obviously due to the prolonged popularity of Heartcatch both among the franchise’s actual intended audience and the otaku fanbase. This isn’t something completely novel to the franchise. Still, the few times different Precure series shared the same director, it was almost always for series that were narratively tied together, and only occurred early in the franchise’s lifespan. Precure’s ability to switch directors for every entry is one of its strong suits. One individual can only do so much with the same premise, after all. Unfortunately, then, the choice to retain Nagamine Tatsuya as director likely harms the final product as, while I wouldn’t say it is at all terrible, HappinessCharge is incredibly forgettable.

Still, none of this criticism is really directed towards any lack of creativity. HappinessCharge departs heavily from Precure norms, in a world where the titular Pretty Cures are less magical girls and more so treated akin to superheroes. Instead of being out of sight figures largely known only through urban legends, numerous Cure exist around the world, with the main cast being the group from Japan. The characters’ final attack moves also incorporate different outfits and vary wildly compared to the franchise’s typical use of giant laser beams. Additionally, it is notable that instead of a guiding fairy giving advice to the protagonists, the main mentor for the series is god. While all of this sounds to be a good departure from the norm, though, it really doesn’t amount to much. The characters still act roughly the same, and though it is slightly more interesting that their status as defeating villains is somewhat more defined than it would be in any other entry, there isn’t much of a meaningful difference between it and the prior entries. In fact, this shift actually kind of harms HappinessCharge. The status of the main cast being unique feels far more abruptly rigid than it really should–after all, they really are not that unique in Happiness- Charge’s universe.

The protagonists are somewhat interesting, but still stick too closely to archetypes to be of much note. Shirayuki Hime, for instance, is often cited to be interesting on account of her character being rooted mostly in negative character traits. As the series’ Pandora, as Hime opens a box which creates the central conflict, she has particular moments which define her character beyond what one would consider typical of a blue-haired character in Precure. In the context of Nagamine Tatsuya, though, this too reads as rather uninteresting. Hime, or Cure Princess, is interesting for HappinessCharge, but feels far too similar to Cure Marine from Heartcatch. A lot of drama is rung out of the fact that, once again, she is directly responsible for the villains’ arrival. None of it feels all that properly resolved, though, as the other characters just sort of accept Hime after some squabbling.

On that note, the main conflict is resolved in a rather underwhelming way as well. The ostensible main villain for much of the series, Queen Mirage, actually has a fairly interesting backstory. Her status as a former Cure who centuries ago developed an infatuation for HappinessCharge’s god, with her fall to villainy due to his subsequent refusal to stay with her due to him being a deity. This is interesting lore that ties into other parts of the story. Mirage’s rejection of the protagonists’ ideals is more impactful because she once held the same duties. This also feeds into the rather bizarre love triangle between god, HappinessCharge’s main protagonist Aino Megumi (or Cure Lovely), and Megumi’s childhood friend, Sagara Seiji. With Mirage’s backstory revealed, the rules that HappinessCharge’s god sets for the Cure, such as the instruction for all Cure to never fall in love, make sense and are interesting.

Yet, all of this intrigue is washed away in the conclusion of Queen Mirage’s arc, which sees her renouncing her evil ways, joining with the protagonists. Her reasoning? Because god finally accepts her love and understands her perspective. Essentially, the way HappinessCharge handles this character arc almost completely invalidates the entire series–Queen Mirage’s qualms with god are answered by god simply indulging her in her centuries-long grudge. The villain didn’t learn anything, and simply got what she wanted, with the time elapsed thus seeming completely superfluous.

The irritating Precure trope of having a more secret main villain appear after the placeholder villain is toppled also rears its ugly head. Instead of building upon a somewhat interesting, if not generic, foundation, HappinessCharge instead opts to conclude its narrative by explaining that Queen Mirage was simply the pawn of a greater villain, god’s brother. As the series’ god is explained to have jurisdiction over Earth in a manner similar to Dragon Ball’s mythology, his brother, who rules Mars, is not an interesting villain in the slightest.